SMITHFIELD, R.I. -- Months before he became an unrestricted free agent in March, wide receiver Donald Hayes began analyzing the rosters of the teams he felt might be the most interested in signing him, starting the process of mental inventory that would lead to a decision about where the former Carolina Panthers standout would best fit in.

Even though the New England Patriots were coming off a Super Bowl championship season, Hayes didn't rate the franchise high on his personal totem, in part because he knew they already possessed two solid starters in Troy Brown and David Patten. That's why, as he sat across a desk from Patriots vice president of personnel Scott Pioli early this spring, Hayes was somewhat surprised he had even agreed to the interview.

	Tom Brady threw 18 TDs and only 12 INTs in his first season at the Pats' starter.

So imagine how Hayes felt on Friday afternoon, as he began training camp here, with a team for which he never imagined playing.

Yeah, in the case of Donald Hayes -- and defensive tackle Steve Martin, defensive end Rick Lyle, offensive guard Rich Tylski, cornerback Tom Knight, safeties Chris Hayes and Victor Green, and others -- the Patriots had struck again.

The team that captured Super Bowl XXXVI because its sum talent was greater than the individual skills of its players spent the offseason replenishing its roster. And much as they did a year ago, the Patriots bolstered the team without breaking the bank, without reeling in a single veteran who would be considered high profile.

"They basically look you in the eye and tell you, 'If you're the best player, well, then you'll play,' and I've found out in a pretty short time that's how it is here," said Hayes. "They make a really convincing case. A lot of teams will try to (deceive) you, but these guys are straight shooters, OK? Guys seem to want to play for them. Just look at all of the veterans on the roster, guys who maybe could have made more money somewhere else, but came here because they know (coach Bill) Belichick will find a way to use them."

Indeed, it is that uncanny utilitarian approach by Belichick and Pioli -- arguably the premier front office tandem in the league right now -- which has once again provided the Patriots with one of the NFL's deepest and most internally competitive assemblages.

Think last season was a fluke, a characterization Patriots players and officials despise, and which should only be whispered when within voice range? Forget it. The Patriots have developed another "F-word," a formula, and nurtured it nicely.

Just perusing the position drills on Friday afternoon, one couldn't help but be struck by the depth, the collection of solid players on hand. There are few mistakes on the roster and the pieces of the puzzle dovetail remarkably. This is a team that, frankly, might not defend its title. But while it's chic to label the Pats as just a one-hit wonder, it would be unwise to bet against them.

"We might," said strong safety Lawyer Milloy, "be even better than a year ago."

Just days after the Patriots defeated the heavily favored St. Louis Rams in the Super Bowl, the perception was that every owner would direct his football people to follow the New England paradigm: to sign middle-level players and maximize their production. But the conversion to The Patriots Way hasn't exactly pervaded the NFL this spring, and New England still follows its blueprint better than anyone else.

The Patriots are kind of the Statue of Liberty of the NFL. Their franchise motto should be something along the lines of "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry, yearning to . . . well, yearning to win a championship." Team officials bristle at the suggestion that New England is a bottom feeder, a franchise which only shops at Filene's Basement in Boston, a team that ignores any free agent seeking a seven-figure contract and usually begins its search for talent at the NFL scrap heap.

New England signed 22 free agents in 2001 and just one, guard Mike Compton, landed a contract averaging more than $1 million. But a big price tag doesn't necessarily translate into prowess and New England is expert at turning another team's trash into treasure. The common perception in 2001 was that the Patriots just took on a bunch of high character players. Pioli is quick to emphasize that the imports were also still productive players.

Charges that the team was a low-priced amalgam that overachieved diminish the 2001 accomplishments of the Patriots, overlook the fact Belichick opted after a miserable 1999 season to seek improved locker room leadership and make light of the significance of human chemistry in a team dynamic. They also ignore an incredible synergy that exists between Belichick and Pioli, two guys who must have experienced a Vulcan mind meld at some point in their relationship.

To define the pair as like-minded would be an understatement.

"There just aren't many things we disagree about," Belichick said. "We tend to look at players through the same set of eyes, I guess, and see the same things."

In theory, that's how it is supposed to work in the NFL, or any professional sport. In application, it rarely does, and league history is chock-full of stories of coaches and personnel men at each other's throats. Truth be told, a simmering tension between head coaches and their top talent scouts is more the norm in the NFL.

	“	I played against them last year and you could see they were a team without egos. They showed that, if you're a player, they'll figure out a way to use you. That's why I'm here. That and, truthfully, to win one of those rings these guys are wearing. ”
		— Victor Green, former Jets safety and current Patriots safety

Not so with the New England football brain trust, two talented men reared in football backgrounds -- Belichick is the son of a longtime Naval Academy assistant and Pioli is the son-in-law of Bill Parcells -- and both more important to the big picture than even quarterback Tom Brady.

"The big thing is, neither of us has separate agendas, because we're only interested in winning (Super Bowl) rings," Pioli said after Friday's opening camp practice. "And we know what we want in a player. Some players we bring in might not be a very good fit for another team but they are for us. We might not be a good fit, as a team, for some players. This is a demanding program. Bill is a demanding coach. We're not for everyone. You come to us, you'd better be ready to compete."

In fact, it seems the Patriots go out of their way to create competition, to never allow a player to grow complacent. To play for New England the past couple years is to play with one eye unwaveringly focused on the rear-view mirror. Belichick has impressed on his club this offseason the importance of looking ahead to the challenge that confronts it. But with the Patriots, you'd better have eyes behind your head, because there probably is a player trying to steal your job.

That kind of competition begets depth, the hallmark of the Patriots in 2001 and likely this season as well, yet a commodity perceived as unachievable in the era of free agency and the salary cap. If there is an unemployed player willing to earn a reasonable paycheck and to accept a role, though, chances are good the Patriots have already identified him.

"I played against them last year," said Green, one of the league's best unknown safeties, "and you could see they were a team without egos. They showed that, if you're a player, they'll figure out a way to use you. That's why I'm here. That and, truthfully, to win one of those rings these guys are wearing."

Getting players the caliber of Tylski, who has started the past six seasons for playoff teams, is reflective of the New England philosophy. The team already possesses a solid offensive line group, drafted four young lineman with relatively high picks in the 2000 and 2001 lotteries, yet still convinced Tylski to sign on. If he doesn't start, he will give the Patriots another experienced backup.

Little known fact: In 2001, the Pats ranked No. 2 in the league in compensation paid out to injured players, and the franchise's four highest-paid veterans spent much of the year hurt or, in the case of wide receiver Terry Glenn, in trouble. Yet the Pats had enough talent to derail the imperial Rams in the Super Bowl.

Chalk it up in large part to chemistry, and to the acknowledgement by Belichick and Pioli that the right mix doesn't always include superstars.

"Our job isn't to assemble the best players, it's to put together the best team," Pioli said. "There's a pretty clear-cut difference there."

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.